Record success for Tasmanian Orange-bellied Parrot Recovery Program

Roger Jaensch,Minister for the Environment

Tasmania’s Orange-bellied Parrot Recovery Program has achieved record success in 2021 with 70 birds returning to Melaleuca, an increase from last year’s record of 51 birds.

The success builds upon last year’s captive breeding and release effort, along with successful breeding in the wild population, which saw the highest number of birds set out on their migration north to the mainland since population monitoring of Tasmanian recovery efforts began in 1991.

Adding to the recovery efforts are habitat management in the form of ecological burns completed in recent years to increase the amount and quality of natural foraging habitat at Melaleuca.

This year’s OBP Census reveals that of the 70 Orange-bellied Parrots returned, 36 are female and 34 are male, with just over half (39) being first-year birds that fledged in the wild or were released from the captive population in early 2021.

The 70 returnees were supplemented by the release of 24 captive-bred birds from the Five Mile Beach and Moonlit Sanctuary (VIC) breeding facilities that were released to the wild during Spring 2021.

Breeding is now underway at Melaleuca, with nest monitoring to commence in January 2022.

The Tasmanian Government has invested $2.5 million in a purpose-built facility at Five Mile Beach which can accommodate more than 300 birds and this captive breeding program is crucial to the success of the National Recovery Program for the Orange-bellied Parrot.

Captive-bred birds play an important part in the efforts to achieve a viable population in the wild, providing an insurance population and releasing birds during spring to balance the sex ratio and supplement the number of breeding pairs, and in autumn to increase the size of the migrating flock.

The Tasmanian Government thanks everyone involved in the Orange-bellied Parrot National Recovery Program. This record result is testament to your dedication and professionalism to prevent extinction of this bird in the wild.

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